Freight car closure



June 25, 1963 B. H. FORD FREIGHT CAR CLOSURE Filed June 21. 1957 PRES Sl/V6 United States Patent Gee 3,095,035 FREIGHT CAR CLOSURE Barton H. Ford, Omaha, Nebn, assignor, by mesne assignments, of one-half to International Paper Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York, and onehalf to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn.', a corporation of Connecticut Filed June 21, 1957, Ser. No. 667,187 2 Claims. (Cl'. 160-368) This invention relates to a freight car closure, and more particularly to a closure for a grain-carrying freight car to prevent the escape of grain, or like material, from thecar.

In the transportation of grain, especially by rail, it has been found desirable to provide temporary closures that extend across the bottom portions of the doorways on each side of a freight car. It is to be appreciated that the permanent doorway closures, i.e., the storm doors, are incapable of sealing the doorway to prevent escape of grain, or like material. It is necessary that the sealing type closures be temporary, since. a freight car may not always be used for hauling grain. Conventionally, these temporary closures have been constructed of paper board, or like inexpensive material, and have been nailed or otherwise secured along their sides to the inside of the car door framework.

From the foregoing, it will be readily inferred that after not too many temporary doors have been applied to the framework, the framework becomes partially weakened. The consequences of weakening could prove costly in that an entire shipment could be lost or ruined.

It would, therefore, be desirable for a closure or panel of a temporary nature to be provided which would permit its securement to unweakened portions of doorway framing so as to substantially eliminate the possibility of the temporary closure being detached from the framework and thus breaking the seal. It is to be appreciated that the terms nai and nailing are used in a general sense here, since other like forms of securement have been and can be conveniently employed. However, nails themselves are the most generally employed securing means because of their ready application.

As pointed out above, temporary closure panels are constructed of inexpensive materials. The paper board type also mentioned above has been found eminently qualified for this purpose. Currently, two types of paper board closures are available, one with corrugations, and one without a corrugated layer. The latter form-that is noncorrugated form-is considered lacking in suitable strength. The flexibilityinherent in such a panel due to the lack, of corrugations limits its usefulness. Where, however, corrugations are provided in a paper board panel, the desired strength is provided. This strength is especially noticeable in the direction in which the flutes are disposed. Conventionally, the flutes in such a panel are disposed vertically when the temporary closure is installed. Additions to the strength of the panel in a horizontal direction are provided by spaced reinforcing bands such as are constructed of steel.

When spaced metal straps are employed for strengthening a panel, a widely employed structure for securing the straps to the framework is to separate them from the panel as by providing side flaps achieved by vertically scoring the panels along lines spaced inwardly of the sides thereof. In such case, the straps are first nailed to the door framework and thereafter nailing strips or side battens are employed to secure the flap portions to the framework.

The foregoing procedure of double securement is considered undesirable. A principal disadvantage relates to the additional labor required in securing the side battens.

Patented June 25, 1963 The need for duplicate nailing produces framework weakening at an accelerated rate.

Therefore, it would be desirable to eliminate the duplicate nailing currently considered necessary. Further, it would be exceedingly desirable for the worker installing such panels to see where the nail is to be driven into the framework, since this would minimize the chances of an insecure nailing. It is to be appreciated that this lastmentioned desirable feature applies irrespective of whether the corrugated type panel is used, or not. Where a corrugated type panel is applied to weakened framework, resulting in an insecure union, another type of dis-advantage may occur. Since there is a tendency of corrugated paper board to warp in the direction in which the flutes are disposed, the stresses applied on the nails, particularly at the bottom, might well result in complete breaking of the seal between the panel and the door frame, thus permitting grain escape.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new type of temporary closure for a freight car, or like vehicle. Another object of this invention is to provide a closure which avoids the problems and disadvantages characteristic of previously-employed closures. Another object is to provide a new type of closure that permits the achievement of the desirable features discussed above. Still another object is to provide a new type of closure constructcd of a corrugated paper board. Yet another object is to provide a new type of closure of the character described, in which those installing the closure can readily determine whether the closure can be secured to an unweakened portion of the doorway framework. Other objects and advantages of this invention will be seen as this :generally a freight car of which only one side wall 11 and the floor 12 are shown It is believed unnecessary to reproduce the remainder of freight car 10, since such is considered unnecessary for understanding the invention here presented. Wall '11 is provided with a doorway 13, about which is disposed doorway framework 14. A like construction is provided in the unshown side wall of car Secured to framework 14- isa panel generally designated 15, which serves as a temporary closure. Panel 15, as can be seen in FIG. 2, is provided with a corrugated layer 16 centrally thereof, and outer liners 17 and 18. Interposed between outer liner '17 and corrugated layer 16 is a metal strap 13. As can be seen in FIG. 1, a number of straps 19 are provided which are coextensive with the width of panel 15. Conventionally, panel 15 is provided of a height less than the height of doorway 13 in order to permit introduction of grain through doorway 13 when panel 15 is installed in place. The space above panel 15 also permits the workman installing panel '15 to leave the inside of the car.

Panel .15 is provided with a plurality of openings 20 extending through the entire thickness thereof, as can be best seen in FIG. 2. In the illustration given, these openings are provided in the portion adjacent the end of strap ,-19 which is in overlapping relation with framework 14 .per 1,000 square feet.

well as strands 32:

are transferred use of lighter straps.

the flutes of corrugated layer 16 are disposed vertically when panel -15 is installed in place. 'The additional strength provided thereby permits panel 15 to be installed without the need of a bottom flap. Where the bottom flap is desired, panel 15 can be horizontally scoredalong one of the longer sides thereof to provide a flap, such as is indicated in dotted lines and designated 22 in FIG. 1

Panels of the type shown in FIG. 1 can be conveniently produced by the apparatus shown schematically in FIG 3, Referring now toFIG. 3, the numeral 23 designates a roll of paper, for example, kraft paper weighing 47 pounds The numeral 24 designates another roll of paper which will ultimately provide the cor.- rugated layer 16 of panel 1 veniently be 33 pound kraft. Paper web 2.5 from roll 24 is drawn through corrugated rolls 26, thence over idler rolls 27 into press rolls 28, Where it is adhesively united uch p pe ma c with web 29 from roll 23. Web 29 ultimately provides liner 18 of panel 15. 'Also drawn into press rolls 28 is web 30 from roll 31 similar to roll 23. Web 30 ultimately provides liner 16, and is conveniently of the same character as web 29 and therefore liner 17. Also drawn into press roll 28 are a plurality of spaced metal strands 32. Strands 32, which ultimately provide straps 19 can be conveniently constructed of 0020" black steel having a width of Prior to the drawing of web 30 into rolls 28, adhesive is applied, permitting bonding of Web 30 :to the strands 32 and the unbonded side of web 25.

After the united webs issue from rolls 28, .they are heated and pressed together as at a press heating station schematically presented and designated 33. Thereafter, the c mb d b ar u e t d to P n hin e ation which provides holes in webs 2:5, 29 and 30, as Th ho s n onve i n P v ed ente s w t 6 t 1 1 9 P g o p- The groups can be so spaced as to provide 90." or 114 between centers. The spacing of groups thus corresponds to the overall width of standard freight car doorway frames. The group of openings along each side of a panel will then extend over a space approximately equal to the width of the doorway framework or structural member. I have found three to five openings at the end of each strap to provide optimum results since then several nails can be employed if desired, generally without the possibility of engaging an alreadyweakened portion of the structural framework of the car door.

After punching, the combined web is transversely severed, both of which operations are designated schematically by the box designated 34. In the illustration just given, severing can be performed in the center of each group of holes, thereby providing the holes adjacent the ends of each strap or, alternatively, at the extreme side portions of each panel, After cutting, the severed panels to conveyor 35 for bundling and shipment. I have found that limiting the perforations to the side 'portions of a panel as deseribed above, permits substantially lessening in weight of the structure through the his ls ntt bu t th 'Q teriorly equipped between the liner all strength of the installed structure since appreciably less weight of panel need be carried by the panel itself and also the framework of the grain car door.

While, in the foregoing specification, I have set forth specific examples of structure, steps and materials in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that such details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

flut s of said panel ext nd ng n versely of t length of said strap members, said panel and strap members being provided with aligned openings therethrough only adjacent the ends of saidstrap members, each of said p n being p o e b i u tan ous y Pu i through said core, liner sheets, and strap, the distance between the outermost openings. at each strap end being less than the width .of the structural member of the car to which the elosure is adapted to be secured.

2. In combination with'a grain-carrying freight car having a dorway defined by vertical framing members, a temporary closure for said doorway comprising a corrugated paperboard panel having vertically-extending flutes in thecorrugated core thereof and extending across the doorway in overlapping relation with the vertical door framing members of the car, paper liner sheets adhesively bonded to each side of said. core, said. panel being inadjacent said frame members and said core with a plurality of vertically spaced-apart, horizontallyr-emtendingfiat metal stnaps, said straps being i eon-tasting relation with the core flutes, said straps and panel being equipped with aligned openings therethrougjh at the ends fof's'aidstraps, each of said ope e n p ov de u tan u l un said core, said liner sheets and strap. and overlying a portion of said framing members, and securing means extending through. at least one .opening at each end of each strap.

References (Bjted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A CLOSURE FOR A FREIGHT CAR DOORWAY, OR THE LIKE, A CORRUGATED PAPERBOARD PANEL COMPRISING A FLUTE-EQUIPPED CORRUGATED CORE EQUIPPED ON BOTH SIDES WITH LINER SHEETS ADHESIVELY SECURED THERETO, SPACED-APART PARALLEL METAL STRAP MEMBERS EXTENDING THE WIDTH OF SAID PANEL, SAID PANEL BEING PLANAR AND HAVING SAID STRAP MEMBERS INCLUDED BETWEEN ONE LINER SHEET AND THE CORE THEREOF WITH THE STRAPS IN CONTACTING RELATION WITH THE CORE FLUTES, THE FLUTES OF SAID PANEL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE LENGTH OF SAID STRAP MEMBERS, SAID PANEL AND STRAP MEMBERS BEING PROVIDED WITH ALIGNED OPENINGS THERETHROUGH ONLY ADJACENT THE ENDS OF SAID STRAP MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID OPENINGS BEING PROVIDED BY SIMULTANEOUSLY PUNCHING THROUGH SAID CORE, LINER SHEETS, AND STRAP, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OUTERMOST OPENINGS AT EACH STRAP END BEING LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF THE STRUCTURAL MEMBER OF THE CAR TO WHICH THE CLOSURE IS ADAPTED TO BE SECURED. 